A couple of messages seem clear from Paris Fashion Week. Apart from the most evident fact that nothing truly has changed. The idea ofrenovating a system, so discussed during the pandemic, changing its outdated foundations, providing new guiding principles and deeper values, has failed miserably. That’s whatfashion ruled by finance does. Forget lesser productions with better quality – this is not for corporations.
Nature’s calling Sea, trees, woods. This message seemed quite strong. Indeed, many designers have set up their fashion shows immersed in nature. As to celebrate something we all missed for over a year or more. Or a desire to reconnect with our so mistreated vital element.
Clothes have no gender We saw male models walking the runway in skirts or dresses and females in man’s suits – interchangeable genderless outfits. Not that it’s something new. In fact, Gaultier already did it about 40 years ago. But perhaps, the time is ripe now for a wider audience.
At this point, garments have lost their traditional gender connotation. An aesthetic that, from a historical viewpoint, has been developed as a reflection of patriarchy. We understand this is a big topic. Indeed, it requires a deeper analysis, a full exploration. So we will dedicate a whole post later on. However, coming from a Gaultier influence, we always picked out men’s pieces for women or vice versa. If a garment looks good, no matter if it’s men’s or women’s. From now on, we hope for a more open and free attitude towards how clothing is perceived.
Garments are not stand-alone pieces. They become alive once we wear them. Without our intervention, clothes are empty. It’s us and our personality that completes them.
The way we represent clothes, the way we portray them is called style. It’s an individual posture, the reflection of who we are.
A timeless approach to fashion beyond trends and classification
Sunday morning, it was pouring hard when we reached our appointment with Marc Le Bihan – in Tortona district. Even though we made our selection the day before, we wanted to dig deeper into his profound couture universe. In a transitional era, where everything looks unstable and meaningless, his persistent artisanal contribution makes the difference.
Marc Le Bihan is a fashion designer, artist, and craftsman who creates clothes like a second skin. Indeed, his work goes beyond any classification. His conceptual creativity – manifested through impeccable tailoring, is the expression of a cultured and timeless approach to fashion that refuses trends and their transience. Completely disconnected from commercial fashion constraints, his couture is a rare example of consistency.
Marc Le Bihan: the interview
• What does it mean to be consistent? Keeping up with your vision when the rest of the world goes in a different direction? Marc Le Bihan: “The other direction is not my world. I do not understand it. To me, it’s a problem of society. I don’t understand the way of being, the lifestyle. That world is not me, and I can’t even think about it. Usually, I don’t watch TV. Yesterday I watched Italian TV, and I wondered, how is it possible? Women pretend to be free, showing exaggerated lips and boobs. But in that, I only see the reflection of a man’s vision. That is not freedom. It’s the fake image of a woman.”
• The state of fashion now. How do you see it? Marc Le Bihan: “The problem with fashion is that people only see the lights, the famous people. There is no sensibility to go further. Branded products are not luxury, not anymore. Luxury is rare, and it’s not for all. To me, it’s not about fashion but more about doing clothes my way. So, the two roads can cross each other but not as direction to follow.”
• What do you think about social media communication? Marc Le Bihan: “Famous people promote everything. They get paid to sell, it’s all about money. And not only for fashion. Maybe they promote a food they didn’t even taste. We live in the culture of image, not real life. People don’t live the moment, take pictures. And everything is ego-centered. Also, people have lost the meaning of quality and quality of life. That is why I follow my path. And so, our communication is not to do any communication. Everything is too confused, there’s too much of it. We don’t have time for social media, we are busy making clothes. However, it’s not about posting a thousand things. Sometimes we post. Enough.”
Marc Le Bihan SS22
Fashion, culture & sustainability
• It’s a matter of culture and education? Marc Le Bihan: “Always. The first problem is education, for everything. The idea of accessing, through culture and education, to something higher – is dead. And I am concerned about young kids. Now they are totally immersed in this image game.”
• What do you think about sustainability? Marc Le Bihan: “Well, I did it 20 years ago! In fact, we were recycling and upcycling uniforms and parachutes. Now, I don’t want to be a part ofthat circle because everybody is doing it. That’s marketing. To me, it’s more about how we consume and live. Of course, I use sustainable materials, but I don’t advertise.To claim it means being part of the system. My idea is to keep a garment for ten years in the wardrobe, then take it out and still want to wear it because it’s timeless. Mine is a work in progress. If a shirt is good, it’s good forever.”
A final note about couture
“Couture is sustainable by definition. In fact, there is no overproduction, no minimum orders, and no sales. We produce only on orders, and everything is handmade. Moreover, we don’t find our balance in over profit. If everybody gets well paid, we all can live. Indeed, my staff has been working with me for 25 years. Always the same people, same suppliers. We understand each other. We work like this. Most pieces are made in casa, a la maison, in our atelier.”
He smiled saying those words. Stubbornly showing a path that is a return to the essential, pure artisanal creativity.
Rewiring fashion seemed to be the new purpose in the fashion field. Unfortunately, there was no trace of it during the Spring-Summer 22 Milano Fashion Week.
More than anything else, the urgent brands’ intent seemed the will to connect with the Chinese market. This quest reverberated like a scream or a cry for help in the majority of the presentations.
The only new element (in case we still want to consider it so) is the calling of a diverse flood of models. Now different silhouettes or ethnicities are well represented in fashion events, and it is clearly positive. Although it’s lovely that anyone can identify with the models and see how dresses fit on various body shapes, the problem is that many of these new generations of boys and girls have no sense of elegance. So the image of these fashion shows looks poorly.
The Roof Milano
Spring-Summer 22: rewiring fashion?
It is not that now the trend is more sporty, that is the comment we heard during a fashion show. It’s that elegance is dead. Culturally dead, in wearing, speaking, or living.
Most importantly, there is no shift in terms of communication. Indeed, what emerged is the same way of spreading the work. Perhaps with a further decrease of the overall perceived value. The Instagram way seemed still relevant, with all the related circus. Which, by the way, we found boring. If not annoying. We are fed up with it, aren’t you?
The official press, or what remains of it, can only be condescending or applauding. Budgets for advertising are already cut to the bones, better avoid any further reduction.
But what is the vision? What kind of woman do they want to promote? What kind of future do they want to see?
And what about the rewiring fashion idea? Apart from the empty marketing slogans, which want to represent the (fake) change, what are we talking about?
One of the most striking side effects of the pandemic is the accelerated shift toward the digital world. When it comes to brand research, this transition can yield positive outcomes.
Some brands opted for a mixed formula, physical and digital, while many others decided to present their new collections only through digital platforms. So, like it or not, that’s the offer. Obviously, fashion companies suffered significant financial losses due to the pandemic. Digital strategies have become key to recovery. Additionally, they realized how few people were actually needed to maintain an international workflow. (This loss of jobs is its own problem).
Selection through social media
We are not satisfied with the trend of discovering new brands via Instagram only. First, the communication of many brands is oriented to push the image of a woman we do not want to endorse: plastic face, doughnut lips, tons of make-up. Furthermore, it’s easy to cover up poor quality clothing in an Instagram pic.
Scrolling down, you may see so many infinite offers of clothing that seem like beautiful quality. At first sight, at least. Yet after a deeper analysis, you realize it was just a nice pic. Fast fashion brands know this trick very well.
Selection for Spring/Summer 22
However, a satisfying implication of digital fashion is that material is more accessible compared to the past. In fact, we are receiving many look books and line sheets. So that it’s easier to have an idea of what’s going on in terms of style. Through accurate presentations and line sheets, you have the chance of knowing more about materials and fitting.
If it is true that nothing will ever change the experience of touching the fabrics, now we have the opportunity to curate a selection without travelling the world.
Though this digital integration is remarkable, finding the right balance remains essential.
If you want to understand the events that caused the decline of luxury, we suggest you read ‘Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster’ – a book written by Dana Thomas.
You will discover how fashion from being a family-owned business became a corporate battlefield based on overproduction. The growth of the new markets – China, Russia, and India. The explosion of counterfeiting goods and labour exploitation. Then, the rise of fast fashion, internet retailers and the development of a fast-paced globalised system. How luxury products abandoned exclusivity and shifted to the masses. Creating the so-called democratic luxury–which basically is nonsense. Indeed, it shows how far marketing rhetoric can go, playing with words to manipulate people.
The book is a brilliant analysis of the field, investigating the dynamics that led to an auto-implosion of a system. Also, it allowed us to relive the last 30 years of fashion. We assisted many of those events – not by accepting them but by shifting more and more towards niche designers. Finding a kind of refuge in a tiny universe. A thoughtful research in dissonance with the average fashion consumer.
Though we agree with almost everything in Dana Thomas’ book, we do not align with the devotion to some brands. We are afraid they have lost their luster too, so far. Except for Hermes and Cadolle.
Indeed, looking back at the decline of luxury, it has become increasingly difficult to find meaningin fashion maisons. They seem like smoke and mirrors set up to sell perfumes, make-up and bags. Abundantly offered to masses that have no perception beyond the logo and the illusion of being considered rich.
If you still love fashion, you go beyond that fake facade and search for designers who dared to undertake an independent path, expressing an authentic creative vision. In this panorama, the ability to select the right clothing – from an aesthetic and ethical viewpoint – changes the game.
